Roccat Taito mousepads: Mini-, Mid-, King-Size

Feature

Excellent and affordable Roccat Taito gaming mousepads that caress both your hand and the feet of your mouse.

Shiny Roccat Taito Gaming Mousepads

A couple of years ago, we had the privilege of reviewing the previous incarnation of Roccat’s Taito Mousepad. Back then, we got our hands on the King-Size model and rated it quite highly in our books. Now, Roccat has launched new versions of the same mousepads and naturally we wanted to find out how they compare to today’s competition.

The tech stuff

The Roccat Taito fabric-covered mousepads come in three sizes and two thicknesses. We received the Mini and King-Size mousepads in 3mm and the Mid-Size in 5mm for our review. The official measurements of each size are:

Mini: 265 mm x 210 mm
Mid: 400 mm x 320 mm
King: 455 mm x 370 mm

Unlike in our previous review, this time the official measurements are more or less accurate. Last time, they were off by up to 1 cm, but now we could find only a 3 mm discrepancy in the measurement of the largest mousepad. As was told above, the new models come in two thicknesses, compared to the old version which came only in c. 3.5 mm thickness.

The Taito mousepads come with the familiar ”heat-blasted Nano Matrix gaming surface” that promises to provide ”optimal flow” and ”maximum gliding speed in all directions.” The mousepads also have excellent rubbery backing that keeps them steadily in place. Since we do not have the capabilities to study the nano-structure of the fabric, we have to resort to judging it by feel. As such, we can honestly praise the Taito for its great gliding qualities for a fabric pad and – being fabric – it is also pleasantly quiet.

The mousepads come in sturdy plastic boxes that protect the mousepads within until you open them up and destroy the boxes in the process. Thereafter, if you need to carry them along with you, you will have to roll them up and put them in the same bag with the rest of your equipment unprotected. You should be careful when opening the packaging, however, as the thin plastic breaks easily and can turn the unpacking into rather sharp and painful experience.

Testing conditions

We tested the mousepads with several different mice and on different kinds of tabletops, but found no real differences in how different gaming mice performed on the pads. In our scoring, we focussed our attention on the noise that the mice make as they move on the pad (result of friction) and the grip of the mouse mat onto the tabletop (stability). These observations totalled in our most important score: usability. In addition, we rated the look and feel of the mouse pads from our subjective points of view, attempting to give a representative score also on this front. In order to try out the headshot-capabilities of the pads, we played some of our favourite shooters, including Mass Effect 2 (yes, we dare to call it a shooter).

Usability: We found the Taito family to be great mousepads. The soft surface makes very little noise when you move a mouse on the surface. Taito lies solidly on the table surface and never slips even in the most hectic gaming sessions. The King-size model is great for those using low-def gaming mice, requiring large surfaces, while the Mini is better for those who use hi-def and require only a inch or two of space to move their mice in normal situations. Our various gaming mice read the mouse pad perfectly and the shooter gaming sessions did not suffer from the lack of headshots, so there’s nothing to complain about on this front either.

Look and feel: The fabric surface is very soft and comfortable. The thinness of the 3mm pads also allow you to roll them up a little bit for a wrist-rest if find yourself in the need of one. This might also counteract the relative hardness of the thinner models against your wrist. Naturally, you can also do this with the 5mm models, but we found them thick enough to offer enough soft support to one’s wrist even without a wrist-rest. As a downside of any fabric-coated mousepad, we must note that they do pick up grime from your hands over time and will not stay shiny black forever. They also gather and show dust particles, or course, but these can be brushed off easily enough.

Overall, we can heartily recommend these mousepads for anyone wanting to use something better than an uneven table surface for their gaming needs. At the affordable prices that these mousepads come, you will be going both your mouse and your gaming a big service by getting one of them.
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